


Sheltered Hearts

by Crimsonshadowx777



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Marinette - Freeform, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Romance, Slow Build, akward frienship to more?, felinette - Freeform, felix - Freeform, i just really wanted to write fluff with some plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:35:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23257774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crimsonshadowx777/pseuds/Crimsonshadowx777
Summary: Felix has to live in Paris for a whole year. So what happens when he transfers into Adrien's class and begins to notice the strange glares and silent battle between Marinette, Adrien, and Lila Rossi? His curiosity gets piqued. Little by little he starts to learn secrets and how to read everyone around him."I may hide behind a smile, but you hide behind a wall of sarcasm and arrogance."In which Felix reveals his motives and Marinette begins to question what is best for her.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Félix Graham de Vanily
Comments: 39
Kudos: 354





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone~!
> 
> Everything is pretty much the same, but this story essentially takes place in the equivalent of their Junior Year and everyone is slightly older. Most of this will be as close to canon as I can make it before I really get into it.
> 
> Enjoy!!

Marinette bit her lip as she inspected herself in the mirror.

She was sixteen now, in her second year of lycée and was unsure of what to do with her hair. She had always had them in pigtails and was comfortable with them, but as she inspected her reflection, she couldn’t help but feel childish. Was it her outfit? No, she was wearing a pretty simple white button up shirt with dots that she had made while experimenting with patterns and paired it with high waisted blue jeans. The blouse was semi-formal, but when tucked in from the front, it gave a casual feel and with the denim hugging her curves, it made her feel beautiful and powerful. Still, her dark hair sat upon her shoulders, begging for  _ something _ to be done.

“Marinette,” Tikki warned as she finished her cookie.

“I know, I know,” with a sigh, she resigned herself to putting it up in pigtails once again. And just in time, because the moment her fingers released her hair tie, her alarm rang to remind her that she had to leave if she was to make it on time. With one last glance at the mirror, she nodded in satisfaction as she grabbed her coat and gathered her things before heading down her stairs.

“Morning sweetie! On your way to school?” Sabine sat at the kitchen counter aggressively filling out page after page of recipe modifications she would make to cater for a large party a few days from now. She took a sip of her third cup of coffee and held out a to-go cup to Marinette without looking up from her work. “It’s your favorite.”

“Thank you Maman,” Marinette took the warm cup and placed a kiss on her mother’s head before grabbing a warm croissant from a platter and making her way out of their home. She took a bite of the warm buttery bread, sighing in contentment as the soft layers almost melted on her tongue. She waited in silence for the crosswalk signal to change, and gave a warm smile to her old collége as she walked past it.

It had been two years since she had met Alya and Adrien, with Nino being a great addition to their group. Their last year at  _ le collége de DuPont  _ had been fun, they had spent the time getting to know each other and hanging out with their classmates. When everyone had transferred into the same school for lycée, they were all happy to find that their group was in the same class, with most of their former classmates spread out in other classrooms. Everything had started off great in their second year, but when the brunette transferred into their class, all hell broke loose.

Marinette took a deep breath and prepared herself to walk into class. With a simple count to three, she opened the door and was greeted with chaos before her eyes.

“Oh thank God!” Chloe cried in exasperation as she made an escape from Lila’s circle of friends. “Finally, someone else with a brain!” Chloe grabbed Marinette’s hand and pulled her to her seat with her. “I gotta say Dupain-Cheng, your presence is a blessing in a class full of people with no brains or class.” Chloe gave her a once over and raised a brow. “Is that another one of your designs? I gotta say, the black and white combo of the shoes is really calling to me, but the spaced out blue dots on white  _ really _ do tie it all together. I’d wear that if blue were my color.”

“Thank you,” Marinette muttered shyly.

Being this close to her still felt strange and weird, but the blonde had  _ really _ been trying to change for the better. Especially after Sabrina left to study abroad with a scholarship to a school of science in London that Chloe herself had recommended her for. Guess being Queen Bee had made her realize that she needed to be kinder to others and grateful for everything she had. Even if she still didn’t get along with everyone, it was still a huge difference.

The only time she ever really lost her cool, was when the brunette was involved and honestly, who could blame her? Even Marinette had thought of telling Lila off every now and then

“Morning Marinette!” Alya greeted as she walked past her and took her seat in the second row. It was clear by her tired eyes and immediate once-over of their homework as soon as she had sat down, that her best friend had yet to finish their assignment. No doubt, she had stayed up updating the Ladyblog last night until the early hours of the morning.

“Morning Marinette!” Adrien waved to her as he took his seat in the row across from her and Chloe.

“Hey Dudette,” Nino greeted as he sat next to Alya.

“Good morning,” Marinette greeted everyone as Lila took her seat next to Adrien.

“Good morning guys!” Lila gave everyone a wide smile as she looked around at the group. To Marinette, however, there was no hiding the anger in her eyes as she glanced her over. Lila Rossi was a lying manipulator to everyone in their class except for her. Oh no, to Lila Rossi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was nothing more than a pawn that had to be removed.

“Good morning everyone,” Madam Beaulieu called out before calling up Marinette. “Can you do me a huge favor?”

“Sure! How can I help?” Marinette asked as she reached the teacher’s desk.

Madame Beaulieu flushed at the cheeks for a moment as she set down her bag. “I need to make a quick run to the ladies room. It would seem I made a small miscalculation on my  _ timing _ .” She cleared her throat as she looked up at the clock, “Could you do me the favor of waiting for our new transfer student while I’m out? All you’d have to do is watch over the class until he arrives and introduce him once he’s here.”

Marinette, being a girl, understood the urgency of the situation and nodded as she took a clip board with the new student’s name and a note on the class plan. “Of course Mme Beaulieu! Take your time!” Marinette nodded as her teacher grabbed a small pouch from her large bag and thanked her while she rushed out the door as the final bell rang. “Okay everyone!” Marinette turned to the class as she looked down at the clip board. “Mme Beaulieu will be back in a moment, in the meantime, we’ll be opening our history books and reading chapter 10 and answering the summary questions. If you need any help, make sure to ask.”

Marinette took off her backpack and placed her things on the teacher’s desk. Being a class representative for three years, she was used to the role of watching a class while she did her own work. Sometimes she felt like a student and a TA at the same time, but she didn’t mind. Lord knew that she needed all the time she could get from school to learn her materials and get her homework done before going out for patrols at night. She had actually become really good about keeping up with her school work, though it wasn’t rare for a late night akuma attack to have her sleep in every now and then. But even then, her homework was always done on time and her grades in class were great. And really, if going over the materials more than once meant she could learn it faster, she honestly couldn’t care less about filling in for her teachers every now and then.

After filling out her questions, which she had already begun to work on the night before out of boredom, Marinette glanced at the yellow sheet of paper with the new student’s name and almost let out a shriek.  _ Almost _ . She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, counted to three and let out a nervous breath. She was surprised when she opened her eyes and made eye contact with a worried Adrien, but she simply sent him a warm smile.

He smiled back before returning to his work, not noticing the heavy glare that Lila was sending her.

Marinette shook her head as she looked back down at the name on the yellow sheet of paper. It had been six months since his last visit, and he had caused quite a bit of trouble in just  _ one day _ . Marinette looked up at Lila and then back at the paper. Last year had been an absolute disaster with only Lila to worry about, so she made a vow to herself to give him the benefit of the doubt and hoped-  _ prayed _ , that he wouldn’t be added to her list of things to worry about. But to do that, meant she would have to ignore everything he had done to both Marinette and Ladybug, and  _ try _ to get along with him. 

She glanced at Chloe as she helped her desk partner with a question and nodded to herself. If Chloe could change for the better, then perhaps he could have changed too. 

Marinette took a deep breath and tried to calm down her nerves while trying to read and work on the next chapter when she heard a knock on the door.


	2. Chapter !: The New Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know everything feels slow, but I promise you we'll get there soon~!

Felix took a deep breath and knocked on the door to his new classroom.

To say he was excited would be the biggest lie he had ever told. He doubted that the six months since his last visit had been enough to make his cousin and his friends forget what he had done, and he was eager to get all of the glares and mocking whispers over and done with as soon as possible. With a heavy sigh, he reached for the door knob in annoyance, but was surprised when the knob began to turn. He grimaced in anticipated annoyance, already expecting to be greeted with the bored eyes of a teacher who’s lesson he had interrupted. However, when the door opened to reveal a familiar dark-haired girl with bluebell eyes, he was more than surprised to be greeted with a bright smile.

“Oh! Hey Felix! Madame Beaulieu is out on a quick bathroom break.” Marinette did her best to put her best attitude forward. She could tell that he was wary, with his tense shoulders and both of his hands clutching his bag strap, so she held back on trying to shake his hand. “She should be back soon and you’re more than welcome to take a seat at her desk until then.  _ Or _ ,” she began as she smiled up at him. “As the class representative, I’d be more than happy to introduce you, if you’d like?”

Felix was at a loss for words. He hadn’t expected Marinette to be the one to greet him, much less to do it as kindly as she had. Especially when she had seemed so upset with him last time. After all, wasn’t she the one he had hurt the most? Felix frowned as he pulled himself out of his thoughts and nodded in acceptance to her offer.

Marinette smiled even wider as she stepped aside to let him through the door and guided him to the front of the classroom. “Attention everyone, we have a new student!”

Marinette’s excited voice was something he wasn’t prepared for either, causing Felix to focus on her as she addressed the class. Did she actually remember him and everything he had done? Because she was way too relaxed and happy if she did. He ignored the way Chloe made a snarky comment and how Adrien’s friends groaned in annoyance and instead, focused on the way Marinette turned to him with bright eyes as she introduced him. Her voice was soft, yet it held enough strength to it to be heard above the murmurs of the class.

He was surprised to find it quite comforting.

“Hey Felix!”

With a reluctant sigh, he turned away from Marinette and faced the rest of the class to find Adrien waving to him.

“Hey,” He greeted monotonously. Unlike his cousin, the spotlight was the last thing he ever wanted.

“Oh my gosh!” Felix winced in annoyance of the high pitched voice and looked up to see the brunette it belonged to. One look at her was all it took for him to know that she was trouble. Her voice was  _ too _ sweet and there was something about her eyes that he didn’t like. It was as if she had seen him as a stepping stone to her imaginary throne as she ranted about how similar he and Adrien were. He tightened his hold on the strap of his leather bag as a chill ran down his spine.

“Wait!” Felix recognized the girl with glasses from his last visit. “Are you related to  _ the  _ Graham Production Company?” Recognition settled into her face as she connected the dots.

“That’s my mom’s company.” Felix watched the class grow in excitement and immediately regretted his promise to his mother. Did he really have to spend one year in this place? Sure, he’d get to transfer back to his old school for his last year of school, but one year _here_ already felt like it was an eternity away.

“Oh Felix!” The teacher walked in with a smile on her face as she thanked Marinette for taking over. “Sorry I missed your introduction. I know everyone is probably dying to get to know more about you, but unfortunately we have to get back on topic since we have an exam tomorrow.” She nodded in acknowledgement as she took in her students groans while searching the classroom for an empty seat. “I know, I know, I’d much rather get to know our new student as well but we have other things to do. Felix, you’re more than welcome to take a seat next to Marinette while we review.”

“Thank you.” Felix turned to follow Marinette and was surprised to find her subtly glaring at the brunette from before. He realized then that the brunette was hanging off of Adrien any chance she could and he was reminded of Marinette’s confession towards his cousin. The confession he had deleted. ‘ _ Guess six months really wasn’t enough time to change some things.’ _ When she noticed him staring, she threw him an apologetic smile and that was when he noticed it.

Marinette had soft, gentle features, bright blue eyes, and with a smile like hers, it was easy to mistake it for genuine. But in that moment, which had only lasted a fraction of a second, he noticed that her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Instead, they hid a certain exhaustion and pain that despite him not knowing her that well, he could tell that they didn’t suit her at all. 

“That’s your seat,” Marinette began as she pointed at the other seat in the middle row, effectively pulling him out of his train of thought as she stepped back to leave him enough room to squeeze by. He slid across the wooden bench and set his things down just as the teacher began to review, but he was far more intrigued by the girl beside him who began to focus on the lesson as if he weren’t there. She wasn’t being rude, in fact, he felt she was being quite polite in trying to respect his space. He was grateful for that, he didn’t need to add to the curious glances he was still getting, but he wondered just how much of her kindness was an act. 

At lunch, Marinette smiled brightly up at him as she invited him to sit with her, probably out of courtesy, but Felix wasted no time in accepting the offer. When they sat down at a table by the window, he found himself realizing just how bright, energetic, and friendly Marinette could be. There was no doubt in his mind that there was something bothering Marinette, and if you removed that  _ something _ , she was genuinely happy and full of life. He let her do most of the talking as he ate his food in silence, offering input here and there, but he mostly listened to her. Everything felt relatively warm and peaceful, until the brunette showed up.

Marinette fell quiet, her voice getting caught in her throat as she set down her fork, she had lost her appetite. She wanted to tell Lila to go away, but she had lost the energy to do that long ago, and instead focused on looking away, taking in the view of the window to her left. Just a few more months. That’s all she had left to endure before she could finally get some peace.

Felix immediately took notice of how quiet Marinette had gone, when moments before she had been talking about the most trivial of things with such excitement.  _ ‘So this was the  _ something _.’ _ Lila introduced herself to him with an obviously fake smile that didn’t light up her eyes the way Marinette’s did, and he found himself genuinely annoyed by her company. Her voice felt flat to his ears, lacking any warmth and life, sounding more like a rehearsed script than an actual conversation. One by one, her lies began to spill from her lips and he mentally thanked Adrien and his friends for showing up and cutting their conversation short before he could say anything that would start unnecessary drama. He finally understood Marinette’s attitude towards Lila, and when he turned to look back at his desk partner, he was surprised to find her looking at Adrien as if he had said something that upset her before excusing herself from the table with her belongings.

Felix noticed the way Marinette’s eyes had lost their vibrancy, becoming cold, hurt, and uninterested. With a wipe of his napkin, Felix wordlessly stood up and grabbed his things as he made his way to her side, leaving everyone shocked and a certain brunette seething.

When he caught up to her, he found Marinette muttering to herself as she looked through her purse and cleared his throat to alert her of his presence. She seemed scared for a moment, quickly closing her bag and turning to face him in embarrassment.

“Oh hey! Sorry about leaving like that, I suddenly remembered I had some work to catch up on.” Marinette was flustered and didn’t know what to do. She had just barely managed to hide Tikki and had sputtered the first excuse she could think off. With a deep breath, she calmed herself down enough to form a coherent thought. “Actually, I’m not very good with being surrounded by a lot of people right now, and since there is still an hour left to lunch, I was going to go work at a nearby café.” Marinette tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she adjusted her textbook. She didn’t actually know what to do with her spare time but she was too riled up to be surrounded by the others right now.

“Then we better hurry so we have enough time to enjoy our coffee.” Felix was surprised by his own words but he simply adjusted his leather book bag as he draped his coat carefully over his arm. “So, where to?”

Marinette was dumbfounded by his quick invitation to join her and she laughed as she smiled in silent gratitude, she never did like being alone. “Right this way,” she turned on her heels as they made their way to the café just across the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, and as always, feel free to leave a comment~!


	3. An unlikely friendship or something else?

_ Thank you. _

Felix froze and looked up in surprise, his cup just barely touching his lips.

Marinette let out a soft laugh through her nose as she took in the  _ ‘What for?’ _ look in his eyes. “I know I’m supposed to show you around since I’m the class representative, but you didn’t have to come here with me.” She pushed aside a stray piece of her from her eyes as she offered him a small smile. “Thank you, for doing that.”

Felix took in the way her eyes softened as she nervously bit her bottom lip. She was definitely feeling better, with the way her shoulders had relaxed and with how her eyes were slowly regaining their life to them.

“I simply wanted coffee, it was no big deal.” Felix took a sip of his espresso and found himself letting out a heavy sigh as Marinette giggled softly. It was more of an annoyed sigh from his own embarrassment, but she didn’t need to know that. “Did I say something funny?” 

“Ah, sorry,” Marinette laughed nervously as she took in the raised brow he was giving her. “I didn’t mean to laugh at you- Not that I was laughing  _ at _ you- or anything like that! It’s just that your face- not that there is anything wrong with it- It’s just, Ughhh...” Marinette let out a sigh of her own as she hid her face in her hands. “Oh man, why can’t the earth ever swallow me up when I want it to?”

Felix smiled behind his cup as he took a sip. Marinette was indeed a peculiar girl, her emotions were always clearly written on her face, easier for him to read than any book he had ever read. And that was how their strange friendship began. Felix would silently listen to Marinette and offer her input when he deemed appropriate, and Marinette would bring him treats they would share at lunch while discussing books or working on homework. There were still moments when Felix would sarcastically respond to questions or turn down invitations from others, but when it came to Marinette, he always remained as respectful as he could and always accompanied her when possible.

“You sure got along with Felix pretty quickly,” Alya pointed out one day during break while Felix had gone to the bathroom. “I’m surprised you befriended him so quickly when you always struggle to get along with Lila.” Alya glanced at the brunette who stood before the white board and signed her name on a sheet.

“That’s because unlike Lila, Felix is different.”  _ And he hasn’t purposely been akumatized three times in an attempt to expose me.  _ Marinette closed the book she had been reading, one of the many Felix had recommended, and turned to face Alya with a slight frown. “Lila likes to lie and manipulate,” she lifted her hand to interrupt Alya before she could cut her off, “Surely you remember the day she got me expelled from school last year? And not to mention that a lot of her recent little “accidents” contradict several of her previous lies.” Marinette watched as Alya fell silent while deep in thought. “Look, I  _ try _ to get along with everyone as best as I can. Look at Chloe, I gave her the benefit of doubt and look at us now. She's like another member of the gang because she  _ tried _ to change for the better, and now she’s one of my biggest inspirations. But when it comes to liars, you know I can’t sit still and do nothing.”

Alya let out a heavy breath. “I know you don’t like her, and Lila may have told a few lies here and there, but she hasn’t left any evidence of manipulation or lying and until I see that with my own eyes, I can’t just cut her off. I wouldn’t feel right.” Alya watched as Lila was approached by some of their other classmates and how she made small talk about her trips to visit Prince Ali. It wasn’t that hard to believe her in all honesty, her mother was a diplomat and they had all met the sweet boy in school during his visit two years ago, and Lila had pictures too. You know what they, pictures are worth a thousand words and those pictures seemed legit enough after she had cross checked online.

“I know you don’t trust her,” Alya turned back to Marinette with a small smile, “That’s why I stopped using her as a source for the Ladyblog. I rather support you because you’re my best friend, and I trust your judgement, but until Lila is proven guilty, I can’t just cut her off ethier.”

“Then you are wasting your time,” Felix cut in as he took his seat beside Marinette. “That girl has lied more times this week, than I have seen a grown man do in his entire life, and trust me, knowing a lot of greedy businessmen, that’s a lot. You just need to know where to look.” Felix turned to Marinette and completely disregarded Alya once he got her attention.

“Oh yeah,” Marinette turned to Felix with excitement. “Are you free today? It’s supposed to be a clear sky tonight and since we were reading about constellations last time, I was wondering if you would like to come over and watch the stars?”

Felix was surprised. He looked down at the bright-eyed and excited girl before him and recalled their trip to the coffee shop all those weeks ago when she could barely manage a sentence in front of him. He hadn’t been to her house yet, and he wasn’t sure if a late night trip would be ideal for his first visit, but he couldn’t say no to her while she looked up at him like that. “As long as your parents are fine with it.”

Marinette broke into a bright smile and for the first time, Felix found himself inexplicably drawn to her lips as she continued to talk, but her voice fell quiet as he unconsciously licked his lips.

Marinette froze as she blinked. Felix had been looking at her when he had done…  _ that _ , and suddenly, it felt like she was melting from an unknown heat source. She went wide-eyed as she took in the cool grey of his eyes and the focus they had on her… 

“Marinette?”

Marinette jumped out of her seat with a cry of surprise and embarrassment as she turned to face the culprit who had poked her shoulder. She turned just in time to recognize Adrien before she took a misstep and fell back onto Felix’s lap. “Oh my gosh, Felix! I’m so sorry!”

Felix was surprised to have such a sudden proximity to Marinette, but what shook him the most, was the flustered expression she had on her face as she tried to excuse herself. Without realizing it, he wrapped his arms around her and held her gently where she was.

“ _ Felix? _ ”

God, it suddenly sounded like the angels were singing when she called his name. Felix found himself genuinely drawn to her, as if she were full of some kind of magnetic energy that were pulling him to her as she looked up at him with glossy blue eyes that shined brighter than any star he had ever seen. He studied her expression, from the way her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, to the way her lips were slightly parted in surprise, her shiny gloss making them look so soft and  _ kissable _ …

Oh.

_ Oh _ .

“Felix?” Marinette called out again as he let out a deep sigh. She silently watched as he looked up and brought up one of his hands to pinch the bridge of his nose. It was clear he was a little shocked, but there was something more to it, like he was processing some kind of thought that he couldn’t voice and it only made her want to know what it was.

Felix could feel her hesitating as she reached for his hand, so he decided to rest his head on it as he placed it on his desk. “Tell me,” he teased as he used his other hand to move a stray piece of her hair. “Is my lap really that comfortable to you?”

Marinette flushed brighter than before as she jumped up and fanned her face furiously. “I am so sorry Felix!” She cried as she kept her back to him. She focused on looking ahead and realized that Alya and Adrien were still watching her. Alya clearly had a knowing smirk on her face as she made up an excuse to leave, while Adrien seemed to watch her with a concerned gaze.

“Oh right!” Marinette was eager to focus on something other than Felix, despite feeling his gaze on her back. “D-Did you want to talk?”

Adrien shook his head. “Sorry, it’s my fault that you got scared. It’s nothing urgent,” he began as the bell rang. “I can ask you about it some other time.” He excused himself with a gentle smile but she caught the glance he had thrown at Felix.

“Alright everyone,” the teacher called as she walked back into class. “It’s English time, so open your books to chapter 20 and team up with your partners for the practice assignment on page 206.”

* * *

Marinette let out a deep sigh as the final bell rang.

“Your English is improving,” Felix turned to her as he finished packing up his things. “You just have to practice your pronunciation on certain words. Here,” he handed her a list of words organized from easiest to hardest, “These are the words I saw you struggle with the most. They’re more literary words than conversational, but it's always better to be prepared than caught off guard.”

Marinette smiled in thanks as she took the list and added it to her binder. “The only reason I’m getting better at it is because I have such a great teacher.” She winked at him playfully as she packed up her bag and stood up. “Ready to head out?”

Felix nodded as he stood and followed her to the door.

“So,” Marinette began as they exited the school. “Any plans for the upcoming festival?” She tried to make small talk as they walked past their coffee shop and she found herself smiling at the idea that they had a place that was just for them. One of the baristas even waved at them through the window as they continued to walk at an enjoyable pace.

“Other than staying home, not really.”

“What?!” Marinette turned to look at him with wide eyes. “No way, you’re only going to be here for a year, you have to at least go to spring festival! It’s a million times nicer than our Fall one since it gets super cold.”

“I don’t like large crowds,” Felix turned to look at her with a frown. “Being the heir to companies as big as the ones in my family, I’m expected to live in the limelight and be at stifling parties, and as fun as that may sound to some, I’ve come to hate large crowds and the feeling of people watching me.”

“Wow,” Marinette smiled up warmly at him. “I appreciate you being so honest about that with me, and I get it. I won’t force you to go if you’re not comfortable, but it will be a shame not to have you there.”

Felix studied Marinette’s soft features as she walked beside him. “Would you  _ really _ miss me?” he joked, “I’m not exactly the life of the party.”

“Perhaps not,” Marinette replied with a giggle. “But you are my friend, and I would love to go to the school festival with you.”

Felix let out a breathy laugh through his nose. “Just call it a date and I’ll oblige.” He turned to look at her with a teasing smirk but was surprised by her serious expression. “Marinette?”

“Huh?” Marinette turned to look up at him in surprise.

“Is everything alright? If you’re not feeling well, we can always meet at another time-”

“No way,” Marinette cut him off as she grabbed his hand. “I’m fine! See?” She forced a smile up at him.

Felix stopped in his tracks and looked down at her with irritation. “Don’t lie to me,” he muttered softly as he pulled her closer to him. “I can read you like an open book, Marinette.” Felix looked into her eyes as they went wide with shock. “Don’t force yourself into a situation if you are not comfortable with it. I know I was teasing you, but if that makes you angry, please let me know.” Fear pulled at him as his mind began to race. “ I don’t want to hurt you again like I did last time. If you hate spending time like this with me, then  _ please- _ ”

“Wait a minute,” Marinette began as she tried to process what he was saying. “I’m not mad at you, Felix. Especially with what happened last year, what’s in the past, is in the past. I would never hold that against you!” Marinette brought her hands up and used his tie to pull him down to her so she could look up at him face-to-face. “I’m just going through a lot right now, and I’m trying to sort through a lot of stuff, but spending time with you like this is what keeps me going.” Her heart was racing and she could feel her ears ringing from it, but she ignored it and continued. “I could  _ never _ hate you Felix,” her voice grew soft as she looked into his eyes. “Never.”

Felix felt the air leave his lungs as she gasped for air. Her warm breath tickled his nose and he found himself drawn back to her lips. Her red cheeks were softening to a lovely pink as she calmed down, and with the evening glow of the sun, she looked as if she were bathed in gold light while she looked up at him and only him.

Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She let go of his tie and instead held him with her hands as she searched his expression for a hint to what he was thinking. But when she found his grey eyes looking down at her with a gaze she couldn’t quite understand and his pale cheeks dusted with a soft pink, she found her heart stopping. He was frowning, yet there was a softness to it, and a slight crease in his eyebrows told her he was both happy and embarrassed by her actions.

Suddenly, a strong urge overcame her as she looked up at him, an urge so strong, the likes of which she had never felt before. It pulled on her, as if a spell had been cast on her to make her body move on its own, and before she could even register what she was doing, she was playing with his hair, running her fingers through his golden locks and breaking them free of their usual resting place.

Felix let out a low sound, akin to  _ ‘hmmm’ _ but not quite. It made Marinette break into an excited smile as she continued to play with his hair, she was surprised by how soft his hair felt and by how long it actually was. And she had to admit, he looked pretty cute with his hair ruffed up like that. When she realized how quiet he had fallen, she froze and immediately took a step back. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry Felix! I don’t know what came over me, I’m sorry for doing that without your permission.”

Felix could feel his cheeks burning despite his efforts to keep calm. He ran his fingers through his hair, already missing the warmth of Marinette’s hands as he tried to fix it. “It’s okay,” he cleared his throat as he lowered his hands, there was no way his hair was going to go back to its original style so he resigned himself to his wild and disheveled look. “You are free to do as you wish,” he began as he suddenly found it hard to look into her eyes.

“Oh my god,” Marinette placed a hand on her chest as she took in the look on his face. “You made a super cute expression just now.”

“Wha- No I didn’t,” Felix clenched his jaw in irritation but all it did was fuel the heat that crept up his face.

“You  _ did _ ,” Marinette smiled as she began to walk with a skip in her steps. “I think it was cute, what’s wrong with that?”

Felix followed closely as he avoided eye contact. He tried to answer but his voice came out as a soft mumble that made Marinette throw him a teasing smirk as she asked him to repeat himself. God, it was awful when the tables were turned so easily. “I  _ said _ ,” he used up his pent up frustration to practically yell as he turned to her, “A man doesn’t want to be called  _ cute _ .”  _ ‘Especially by someone as cute as you.’  _ She giggled at him as several passersby turned to look at them with knowing looks. He let out a frustrated ‘ _ Ugh’  _ as he turned on his heels and continued to walk.

“Felix, wait,” Marinette cried as she pulled him to stop before he got too far.

“What?!” He hissed as he turned to her while still refusing to make eye contact.

“We’re here,” she laughed as she pointed at the back door to their home. She watched Felix with soft eyes as he mumbled quietly to himself, a quirk that made him seem younger compared to his usual, mature, composure. “Maman? Papa?” She called softly as she opened the door and led him inside.

Felix took in the blue walls and the staircase before him as they made their way upstairs to her home. He heard a woman reply from behind the first door to his right and he attempted to make himself a little bit more presentable before the white doors opened. When they did and they revealed a shorter, Chinese woman with bright eyes and a warm smile, he immediately understood half of Marinette’s personality. “Bonjour Madame Cheng, my name is Felix Graham de Vanilly, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Oh, what a gentleman,” she smiled up at him as she took his hand. “But please, call me Sabine, you’re a friend of Marinette’s so you might as well be family.” She laughed as she noticed his obvious embarrassment at that. “Please, come in,” she stepped to the side, “I just finished making dinner. Will you guys be joining us?”

Felix knew the question was mostly directed at him, “If that won’t be too much trouble.”

“Not at all!” Sabine beamed up at him, “I already have everything set. You two just go wash up and come join me at the table. My husband will be up shortly after closing up downstairs.”

Felix thanked her as Marinette began to lead her upstairs to drop off their things. He wasn’t surprised by how much pink he was seeing, considering how Marinette always wore at least one pink thing. But he was amazed by the amount of projects she had set up. She had outfits that were being sketched pinned onto the walls, scraps of fabrics in various colors and patterns laid on her working counter beside pictures from magazines and print outs of runway shows. In one picture, Marinette even stood proudly beside a man that he recognized for his fairy tale collection which had been released the spring of last year.

“Oh,” Marinette smiled as she set down her things at her computer. “That’s from a runway show Chloe invited me to.” It was strange to think about how different things were between them now, after years of being unable to get along. Her invitation had come as a surprise, but when she heard that one of her favorite designers would be there, she immediately agreed. As a result, that turned into the first of many trips with Chloe to runway shows and exhibits.

“Chloe invited you?” Felix was surprised. He knew that the blond had changed a little bit recently, and with how often she sneered at him, he had assumed it was all an act. But now that he thought about it, Chloe did seem to have a soft spot for Marinette and she would often approach her for small talk while he read in silence beside her.

“I know, it’s kind of hard to believe, but something happened to her that made her have a change of heart.”  _ Like becoming queen bee. _ Marinette smiled as she looked up at the other pictures on her wall. “Some of these were shows that Adrien participated in, while others were offered to me by other friends.”

Felix was surprised to spot several photos where the two blonds hugged Marinette while Jagged Stone jumped up in the air and posed behind them, while other pictures had the trio standing with Clara Nightingale as they posed with her backstage, and so on. It was clear to him, when he turned to look at Marinette, that each of these pictures held an important memory to her. Her eyes had gone soft, and with a gentle smile that only grew wider with each picture he took in, he couldn’t help but feel a little envious about it. Yet at the same time, he felt a certain type of pride swell up within him when he looked past her and noticed that a lot of the outfits she had pinned on her walls were actually worn by the celebrities in her pictures.

“You’re amazing Marinette.”

Marinette turned to look at Felix with surprise. “What?” She had been caught completely off guard by his compliment but the proud look on his face made her heart beat wildly.

“You designed a lot of those outfits and you’re getting closer to your dreams all on your own.” Felix turned to lean against her desk and looked down at her with a genuine smile. “I am very impressed.”

Marinette couldn’t help fanning her face a little bit as she felt her face grow warm. “Thank you,” she turned to look back at the pictures on her wall and smiled proudly. “I don’t usually take a lot of compliments, but it does feel nice to have someone say that.” She beamed up at him before remembering why they had come upstairs. “Oh yeah, dinner! Come on, the bathroom is this way.”

Felix smiled as he continued to follow her, but he threw one last look at a single picture of Adrien smiling down at Marinette. There was something about that picture that sent a wave of irritation through his body but he shook himself out of it before he dwelled on it for too long. He knew one thing for sure, he liked Marinette and he wasn’t sure if he was willing to let his cousin take her away from him.


	4. Chapter 3: A Night Under the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night of star gazing, a promise, and the beginnings of something more. What more can I say?

“Here you go,” Marinette smiled as she handed Felix a mug of hot chocolate. “Are you warm enough? I know it’s a little chilly, it's almost winter after all. If you need another blanket just let me know.”

“I’m alright,” Felix took his cup and nodded in thanks as she took a seat next to him on the couch. “It might be a cool night, but it is beautiful.” He looked up at the starry sky as he let out a warm breath, releasing a puffy cloud to dance its way to the stars.

“It really is,” Marinette adjusted her soft throw blanket and paused to admire the night sky before they began their night of stargazing. “So, where shall we begin?”

“There,” he pointed at a couple of stars that made a vague shape of a ‘W’. “That’s Cassiopeia, do you remember the story?”

“Of course!” Marinette turned to Felix with excited eyes. “She was once a beautiful queen who liked to brag that she and her daughter were the fairest, even more so than the water nymphs. When they complained to Poseidon about it, he threatened to send a flood and a sea monster.”

“Correct,” Felix smiled at her in approval. “And what happened next?”

Marinette turned to look up at the sky and pointed at the next constellation. “They were advised by an oracle to sacrifice their daughter, Andromeda, by tying her up for the sea monster.” Marinette traced her fingers across the sky, accidentally leaning forward a bit too far and finding herself running into Felix’s shoulder. “Woops, sorry.” She offered him an apologetic smile before she continued the story, trying her best not to let herself get too distracted by the contact.

Felix, however, could already feel himself missing whatever warmth she had left upon his arm. 

“After catching a glimpse of Andromeda, Perseus asked for her parents permission to wed her if he rescued her and they agreed. So he did, he rescued Andromeda, and despite her parents forgetting their promise, she honored it and married him. Eventually she came to rule as a queen next to her beloved husband and Athena, upon her death, placed her next to him in the night sky, so that they would always remain together.” Marinette smiled as she drew her cup to her lips to take a sip. “How was that?”

“Not bad,” Felix admitted as he drank from his own cup. “Though in some tales, he doesn’t even ask for her parents permission before he saves her and tries to take her for himself. There’s no guarantee that she loved him.”

“Well, I choose to believe that she did.”

He turned to find Marinette looking up at the constellations in a rather forlorn kind of way. “Is it because it’s more romantic that way?” He threw her a teasing smirk.

“Maybe,” Marinette laughed as she set down her cup and leaned back. “I just can’t help but feel pity for her otherwise, you know? Like, she’s a beautiful princess, who knows she has a responsibility to her people and to maintain the honor of her family. If she were to be rescued by a stranger she now had to marry and spend the rest of her life with him, without any love?  _ That _ would be a tragedy.”

Felix watched her in silence as he tried to read her. It was rare, but there were moments like this when Marinette would seem to be lost in thoughts far beyond anything he could understand. He could see a maturity in her eyes that someone her age should not have, the kind gained through struggle and sacrifice. It was as if she carried a heavy burden on her shoulders, weighing her down with pain and obligation as they slowly wore her down, like a river corrodes boulders slowly and relentlessly into fine dust. He never knew what to say on these rare occasions so he usually sat in silence until she snapped out of it, but there was something about the way she looked tonight, that made him feel like he  _ had _ to say something.

“ _ Marinette _ .” His voice held a tenderness that astounded him. She turned to look at him in surprise, “If you ever need to talk about  _ anything _ , you know you can count on me, right?” He didn’t know what he was saying, which was strange considering how he always chose his words carefully, but then again, Marinette had a way of making him act in ways that broke down his meticulously structured persona. It felt strange and confusing for him to  _ want _ to take her hands in his, but once he held them tenderly and she smiled up at him with a genuine smile, he decided that logic was no longer important.

“Thank you.” Marinette felt happy. For some reason, Felix always seemed to know exactly how she felt, even when she tried to convince herself otherwise. She looked up at his eyes and his words echoed in her mind.

_ ‘I can read you like an open book.’ _

Her chest grew heavy as her eyes threatened to tear up. She truly was happy. She was glad that she had given Felix a second chance, because honestly? He was someone quite dear to her now who not only supported her when she was afraid or doubted herself, but he had begun to encourage her to step out of her comfort zone and pursue her dreams one step at a time.

_ ‘We’re in this together, us against the world.’ _

An image of Adrien flashed before her eyes as she recalled that day when he had asked her to share the secret of Lila’s real personality. And just like that her heart felt heavy. She closed her eyes and shook her head, forcing all thoughts of her blond friend out of her mind. She could feel her heart waver between pain and love, but she was not about to give into it. Not now.

“One day,” she gave Felix’s hands a gentle squeeze. She could feel the calluses on his hands from years of playing the violin and found that she was oddly comforted by such a small detail. She ran her fingers against his skin, being fully aware of how intimate the action felt. “When I am ready, will you be willing to listen to me?”

Felix wanted to laugh at himself, he really did. “Yes,” the word left his mouth as easily as if he were taking a breath, without any thought or hesitation. He brought her hands to his lips and looked her in the eyes as he placed a gentle kiss on each of them. “When you are ready, I will be right here.” He smiled up at her, but deep down, he knew that there was a limit to how long they had.

‘ _ But I can change that…‘ _

“Thank you.” Marinette smiled at him.

They settled into a comfortable silence before they turned their attention back to the stars and continued to tell stories about each and every constellation they could find. But all good things must come to an end, and with a phone call from his mother, Felix was off, leaving Marinette alone with her thoughts once more. Only this time, she had the memory of his hands within hers and the feel of his lips against her skin to keep her company. 

  
  


“Maman, have you seen my umbrella? I can’t find it anywhere.” Marinette ran down her bedroom stairs in a panic as she began to search the living room for it. 

“Didn’t you leave it in the entryway bin last time?”

“I already checked! I even searched through my room twice but it’s not there.” Marinette turned to look out of her window and groaned as she took in the gray sky and heavy pounding of rain against the glass.

“I’m sorry Sweetie,” Sabine walked out of her bedroom and let out a heavy sigh. “Unfortunately, our umbrellas haven’t been replaced since your father broke them when he tried to kill that mosquito on the ceiling. I’ll try to get some new ones today, would you like me to drop you off at school?”

Marinette giggled as she recalled the memory of her father trying his best to get the small creature. “No, I should be fine. I have an old raincoat I can use, besides, I know you guys have a big order to finish up soon.” She ran up her stairs to fetch it out of her chest.

“Are you sure? It is raining pretty hard.” Sabine picked up a box she had left on her counter and made her way towards the door.

“I’ll be fine,” Marinette promised as she ran back down her stairs and beat her mother to the door. She opened it and allowed her mother to make her way to the bakery before she began her own journey down her stairs. She was already planning the most efficient way of avoiding the rain but stopped dead in her tracks when she opened her back door.

“F-Felix?” Marinette took a step back in surprise. She wasn’t expecting to see him until she got to school, much less standing outside of her door with his hand stuffed in his pockets as he stood underneath an umbrella.

“Don’t tell me you were planning to  _ walk _ to school like that in this rain?” Felix walked over to her and placed the umbrella between him and her door. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”

Marinette was still too surprised to say anything. A distant memory of a certain blond giving her his umbrella left her at a loss for words.

Felix let out a heavy sigh as he reached for her hand and placed the umbrella within her delicate fingers. “Hurry up or we’ll be late.” He could feel his ears grow warm despite his efforts to hide it. He turned on the balls of his feet to walk back to his car when he was suddenly pulled to a stop by a small hand on his arm.

“Wait!” Marinette panicked and pulled out her keys. “I just have to lock up real quick,” she fumbled awkwardly between her keys and holding the umbrella up.

Felix let out a soft chuckle as he carefully took the umbrella back from her hands. “You really are hopeless sometimes.”

Marinette could feel her cheeks burn as his fingers lingered a little longer than necessary. “That’s not fair, I was just surprised, that’s all.” She focused all of her attention on her keys as she tried to ignore the slight feeling of butterflies in her stomach. “Besides, what brings you here?”

Felix cleared his throat as he tried to avoid meeting her eyes. “I knew you would try to walk to school in this rain, and I figured I’d give you a ride. Since it’s on my way and all…”

“Aww, you were worried about me,” she smiled up at him as she tossed her keys into her bag. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, well next time, don’t just wear a thin raincoat and hope for the best.” He held the umbrella between them until he reached the car and opened the door for her. “Just give me a call.” He waited for Marinette to get in before he closed the door and made his way to the other side.

“Was that everyone, Sir?” His driver looked back at him through his rear view mirror as he awaited further instructions.

“We’re all set, thank you Giles.” He fastened his seatbelt. 

Marinette turned to Felix with wide eyes as she realized that he had a driver. A driver usually opens the doors for their passenger and doesn’t let them stand in the rain, something she had learned from her multiple car rides with Adrien and Chloe. That meant that Felix had  _ ordered _ him to stay put in the car while he waited for her.

“What?” Felix asked as he looked down at her in confusion.

“I’m just surprised.” She turned to look out of her window as the car started to move.

“Oh?” Felix turned to face her in a teasing way. He rested his head upon his hand as he propped it up against the seat between them. “Do tell what’s on your mind.”

Marinette didn’t even have to turn to look at him to know he was teasing her. “I don’t know, I just wasn’t expecting you to be this nice. Not that you’re not nice! It’s just, I don’t know…” Marinette turned to look at him despite how flustered she felt. She bit her lip and took a moment to try and compose a coherent thought. “I just- I appreciate it.”

Felix watched with wide eyes as her pale skin was dyed by that exquisite pink that he loved so much. Her blue eyes shined honestly and brilliantly as she looked up at him with her signature smile. He felt the air leave his lungs as she called his name and reached out to him before placing her warm hand against his forehead.

“Felix, are you doing okay? You look a little flushed, were you waiting in the rain for long?” Marinette could feel his skin grow warm beneath her fingertips so she leaned closer for a better look. To her surprise, Felix placed his hand over his mouth and turned to look away from her while mumbling something under his breath. “What was that?” She scooted closer and tried to look into his cobalt eyes. She could see the faint traces of gray and green that accentuated the pale blue. In that moment, she could have sworn that his eyes were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. They pulled on her like a magnet, drawing her closer until she could see the raging waves that hid beneath them, swirling with something she couldn’t quite register.

“I  _ said _ ,” he let out a huff as he turned to face her, “That you’re not playing  _ fair _ .” Felix sank back into his seat with a sigh, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and close the space between them, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Not yet at least. “I don’t know what to do when you look that  _ cute _ .”

Marinette froze and looked down at herself. She was wearing a pretty modest red dress with black leggings and black boots, a matching red beret with a red ribbon in the middle, and her signature pigtails. She wasn’t feeling very cute this morning, being sleep deprived after a late night fight and all, but hearing him call her that made her  _ feel _ cute and overly self conscious. “Oh, thank you.”

She scooted back into her seat and they sat in an awkward, yet still comfortable silence as they both tried to avoid eye contact.

“Here we are,” Giles stopped the car as close to the school entrance as he could. “Should I come pick you up as well, Sir?” He already knew the answer.

“Only if it’s still raining.” Felix climbed out of his door and opened the umbrella before making his way around the car.

“Thank you.” Marinette smiled up at him before turning to the driver. “Thank you for the ride Mr. Giles.”

“Anytime,” he smiled as he winked at her through the mirror. “Though, just Giles is fine. I am only a few years older than you guys after all.”

Marinette nodded before she got out and joined Felix.

“Got everything?”

“Yup,” Marinette nodded as he closed the door. “You?”

Felix stopped to contemplate it before looking down at his belonging. “Oh wait! I’m forgetting something, can you give me a hand?” Felix smirked as she immediately held out her hand before taking it in his and speaking with the most cool and collected tone he could muster. “Great,  _ now _ I’m all set.” He held back the urge to chuckle as she let out a surprised gasp while he led her towards the entrance. He threw a quick glance to his side where he spotted Adrien getting out of his car and stopping in his tracks to watch them. In that fraction of a second, he knew their eyes had met, and with a grin, he tightened his hold on Marinette’s hand just enough to keep her attention on him as they walked through the doors.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for reading and your continuous support!! I will see you guys next time!!


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